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Chateau Lasgoity is a small, startup winery located in Madera County. John E. Lasgoity and Michele Lasgoity, who are siblings, own and operate the winery. John is the wine maker; he has been making wine for over 12 years. The winery is located on the property their great grandparents, John Ospital of Arrosa and Anna Biscay Ospital of Azkarate, bought in 1903 and across from their home they built in 1906. The family has continuously lived at this residence since that time. Their grandparents, Jean Lasgoity and Jennie Ospital Lasgoity lived and raised their son, John M. Lasgoity there and currently, John E. Lasgoity lives in the same house.<br><br>
John E. and Michele built the winery during 2000; it has a soon-to-be-opened wine tasting room, along with all the tanks, barrels and equipment necessary for the wine production. Their first crush was in the Fall of 2000. They produced a white wine, Blanc du Val (White of the Valley), a Merlot and a Syrah. All the grapes used for these wines were produced in Madera County with the vast majority of them Lasgoity family grapes. During the last weekend in June 2001, they bottled the Blanc du Val and the portion of the Merlot which had aged in new, fresh oak barrels. The Syrah is still aging in oak barrels and will be released in 2002.<br><br>
The Blanc du Val is a blend of Malvasia Bianca and Colombard and is a light, refreshing white wine. It was pressed and cold fermented in our cooled, stainless steel tanks and consequently has a naturally produced effervescence. This wine is best enjoyed very chilled and served on the warm, summer days of the San Joaquin Valley. Also, the Blanc du Val recently received a bronze medal in the 19th Annual West Coast Wine Competition in the Reserve White Blend Category. This competition, held in Santa Rosa, California, had over 1400 entrants. Vineyard & Winery Management sponsors the competition. The results of the competition can be viewed at www.vwm-online.com.<br><br>
The Merlot is 75% Merlot and is blended with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. This portion of the Merlot was aged in new, fresh oak barrels until its recent bottling. This wine is a lighter bodied, easy drinking wine. They believe it is best enjoyed as an aperitif before dining or served with pasta dishes.